Generally, there is a space in every computer specifically designed for accommodating hard disk drives. Accordingly, there are already many studies out there that attempt to design a mechanism for facilitating the convenience of retracting/installing hard disk drives from/into such space.
One of which relates to a mounting apparatus for retractable hard disk disclosed in TW. Pub. No. M303460. In the multi-link drive mechanism of this mounting apparatus, the first linkage road is coupled to a lever while arranging an end of its second linkage rod to be connected to a base and another end thereof to be connected to a slidable panel as the tip of the slidable panel is extended and thus formed as a driving component that is disposed between a connector seat and a hard disk drive, by that the driving component can be enabled to push the hard disk drive to displace for a comparatively large distance and thus detach the same from the connector seat in a rapid and simple manner. Another such study relates to a hard drive extracting mechanism disclosed in TW Pat. Pub. No. M310359, in which the driving unit, being arranged passing through a hollowed section formed in a panel seat of a panel of the panel unit, is configured with a connector provided for connecting the same to the panel unit and a push element that is fitted inside a chute from the back as it is extruding from the front of the chute while being arranged at a position near the rear of a hard drive. As the panel is capable of being driven to rotate between an open position and a close position in relative to the panel seat, the rotation of the panel can bring along the driving unit to force the hard drive to slide inside the frame of the hard drive extracting mechanism between a installation position and an ejection position, by that any computer having the aforesaid hard drive extracting mechanism is able to remove the hard drive without having to dismantle housing of the computer. Furthermore, there is a hard drive ejection structure disclosed in M329836, in which there are two ears with chute holes extending from an end of a first linkage rod while enabling one end of the first linkage rod that is arranged at a side of a drive frame to be coupled with a lever and another thereof to be coupled with a connecting element of a second linkage rod. Moreover, the second linkage rod that is arranged near the rear of the drive frame is configured with a pushing element, formed on an end thereof opposite to the end where the connecting element is arranged, is coupled to a side of the drive frame by another end thereof while enabling the connecting element to be disposed at a position corresponding to the chute holes of the ears formed on the first linkage rod. Thereby, a structure for ejecting a hard drive in a smooth manner is achieved.
In view of the aforesaid patents, despite of their different structures, the hard drive can only be driven to move in a single direction defined by their linkage mechanism no matter it is for installing or extracting. That is, the hard drive can only be installed or extracted in a direction facing directly toward its connector. However, it is common in real world that the hard drive will not be able to align directly with its connecter for installation or extraction as it is restricted by the space available in computer shell. Therefore, the structures shown in the aforesaid patents are not suitable for installing or extracting a hard drive into/out of a shell in a direction that is not directly aligned with its connector.